Moth to a Flame

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"What did you say, Noona?"

Hari retreated back under the blankets, like a turtle hiding in its shell.

"Mom… she wants me to go to the US to m—meet someone."

A while ago Leandro had told her to get up, however, Hari just lay on the bed curled under the covers, reluctant to reveal her face.

His eyebrows wrinkled in surprise when she mumbled these words out, causing the hand that was stretching to tug the blanket off of her to stop halfway.

"Meet someone? Who?" Leandro felt a stab of irritation, but kept his cool. If she was simply going to meet her family she wouldn't be this fidgety. 

He suddenly felt a painful headache when Hari hesitantly responded.

"Um… an arranged date..."

That phrase alone made him want to tell her she was forbidden from going anywhere.

As much as it might sound silly, and cavemen-y; to Leandro, Hari was his. His responsibility, his friend, his Noona, his woman... maybe not his lover, not officially anyways, but at the very least Leandro considered her his.

Besides, the fact that Hari was set up to meet somebody else ignited feelings inside of him that would not bode well for this poor potential groom. Leandro never thought jealousy could be this ugly.

He would never force Hari to do anything against her will, but she sounded unwilling to go with her mother's idea, and he was low-key extremely relieved about that. 

He didn't know what he'd do if she was actually interested. 

With a tender touch, he patted the bulge on the covers, where Hari's head was.

"You don't have to go, Noona."

The bulge shifted a bit, before Hari's cute, delicate face peeked through the hems of the covers. "I don't want to… but… mom… she… she says it's not safe here, and I—" She gulped. "Leandro… w-what do you think I should do?"

"You should not go." 

His response came out fast and strong. Her eyes widened.

'Not safe? With me?'

Leandro tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Your mother should have no sway over who you decide to court and eventually marry, right? You're not a child anymore, Noona. Don't be afraid to say no and take control of your life. Besides, I'm here…" He leaned in, slightly. "How could you not be safe, mi conejita."

Hari licked her lips nervously and Leandro tried really hard not to zero-in on that pretty, rosy-tinged mouth. He reached a hand over to brush away some messy, sweaty locks off her face. His fingers then caressed her warm cheeks in hopes of easing out the stress that pulled at them.

"You're right..." She said, looking at him with a soft smile. 

Though it was glaringly obvious that she was still worried.

Leandro withdrew his hand. "Let's do this. Allow me to speak with your mother—I'll convince her that you're better off staying here instead of moving around and going on dates." He chuckled. "How could I let you go, Noona? Who's going to take care of me when I come back soaked in blood?"

She winced, however, it wasn't just at the morbid sentence, but Leandro suddenly opening the covers, exposing Hari to the cold. She whined in complaint.

Hari was still hugging her pillow.

Leandro arched one eyebrow. "Noona... why is the bed so wet?"

She blinked, the realization hitting her like a truck.

"Ahhh—that's... that's... well, I was..." 

His eyes held a teasing glint. "Have you been up to something inappropriate, Noona?"

"Ah, I—well... you weren't here, and I..."

She stammered, unable to give out any good response. Hari could only shy away, avoiding his teasing stare. With how high-strung and defensive Hari looked, Leandro didn't probe any further; not only was she cute, she was still easily embarrassed as always.

"I actually wanted to ask you something, Noona." He shifted on the bed, and the way she looked at him denoted that her thoughts were far from the chaste innocence one might have expected of her. Still, it was not the moment. "We haven't had time to talk about this, but our current 'peace' might face a crisis… very soon."

Hari furrowed her brows worriedly as she sat up. 

"What do you mean?"

Leandro wasn't the type to sugarcoat the truth. His back was slightly slouched. As he spoke, he looked out the window. "What I mean is that in the following days there'll be a massive upheaval in the city—a war, Noona." Her eyes widened; she believed him. "It sounds far-fetched and unreal that something like that could happen like this." He snapped his fingers. "Abruptly. Without any hints or warning. A perfectly normal day turns into a living hell. But it is a hell we'll have to live in, for better or for worse."

Leandro only paused so Hari could respond. He let his words sink into her head first.

Even if it had not occurred yet, it would, there was no denying it.

Leandro was just so sure about it…

She didn't know where this newfound confidence—and ominous premonition—had come from but he seemed 110% sure that what he was telling her was no joke nor would he ever deceive her for a simple laugh.

Hari clenched her jaw, an unknown sinking feeling growing at the pit of her stomach. She crawled forward, holding his arm in a tight grip. "W-What should we do then? Ah, N-Nari, we have to tell Nari as well—"

"It's okay." He said, and Hari was surprised at how much the tension simply left her body. "I can't say what'll happen to the rest of the city, but what I can say is that you, and Nari, will be safe. I'll stay here. I won't move. I just want you not to panic when the time comes, and to put your absolute faith in me. Can you do that, Noona?"

Hari threw her arms around him, nodding into his chest. "Hm-hm! I trust you, Leandro… I just wish I could be of help. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Nor do I, but if it means that I'll get to come back and see you wrapped up like a cute burrito every time, you might as well get used to seeing me injured. Also…" Hari gasped when Leandro plunged his hand into the void—it was not her first time watching him do that, but it was so magical. "As I promised, I've brought back a gift. Turn around."

"Uh."

Hari blinked, peeling herself off of him. She timidly turned. Her heart fluttered with the anticipation to receive something.

She felt him slide a collar-like string around her neck.

A blue crystal slid across her smooth skin and settled in between the valley of her breasts.

"This is a magical item, Noona. Something I got from the Monolith. Wear it all times. It'll protect you even if I'm not there." Leandro said, and due to how close he was, Hari was reminded of her unfinished business. "Though, with any luck, this trinket will never have to activate. After all, if it did, it means..."

He trailed off, his hands gently cupping her bare shoulders. She shivered, holding the crystal in her palms, watching, mesmerized, as it glowed. 

'I'll be dead.'

•••• 

••• 

•• 

•

Bada had sensed something wrong when Leandro suddenly contacted her—but she was happy. It was so damn hard to get in touch with him these days. She had heard from Yuhee Unnie what Leandro had been up to.

He was one of the Challengers actively climbing the Monolith. Bada didn't know what it entailed, exactly, but she couldn't say she was actually surprised. She had seen him fight in tournaments and competitions. 

She narrowed her eyes in reminiscence. With an elbow propped on the railing of the rooftop, Bada had a magnificent view of Seoul's night sky. "Hmm~" She had a lollipop in her mouth, her tongue coiling around the orb of strawberry goodness. 

Hah… the stars looked so bright. 

She exhaled, wishing for a cigarette, but she reminded herself that Leandro was coming. 

Bada fixed a stray strand of blonde hair, tucking it behind an ear. She plopped the lollipop out of her mouth, watching as a fragile thread of drool lingered between her lips and the candy before breaking.

A building that used to be in the full swing of construction. That was years ago. The company behind it abandoned it due to legal disputes. That was the location he had sent her. She didn't question it; more like, it was Leandro and not a sketchy stranger.

Sticking the lollipop back into her mouth, Bada eagerly sucked on it. 

With the night wind and how high the building was—its location in the top of Seoul—one wouldn't blame her if she were mistaken for being the cover girl of the latest lollipop magazine.

Her eyes widened when footsteps sounded out. She snapped to them, alert and ready—

It was Leandro.

His coat fluttered as he made his way over.

"Bada, it's been a while."

"Leandro!" She skipped towards him, a cheerful smile on her face. "You never call~ you're always with Yuhee Unnie. Or one of your sisters. You don't like me?" She whined in that cute way of hers, sparkles and everything. 

A smile crossed his lips. "You're right, and I'm sorry. You tend to lose track of everything when you're surrounded by women like Yuhee Noona."

Bada tapped her chin innocently. "I'm not like her though~"

Leandro simply arched a brow, the grin on his face growing as his gaze swept across the female figure before him. A white collared shirt, a cardigan loosely draped over her shoulders. A skirt, and stockings. It hugged her hips snugly and displayed all of the beautiful and ample curves that he never thought he missed until he met her again.

She narrowed her eyes at him, teeth grinding on the candy. "Don't stare too hard or else I'll lose confidence~ What? Do I have something on my face?"

Leandro didn't beat around the bush; neither did he come all this way without a reason—at least one aside from rekindling their friendship. He figured that talking to her a bit before moving to heavier topics wouldn't be bad.

"How have you been?"

He walked up to the railing, leaning over it. The breeze ruffled his hair as he surveyed the bustling nightlife of Seoul below him.

She approached as well, slightly bending over the railings. Her blonde braids cascaded past the curves of her face.

"Not bad..." She glanced at him with upturned eyes and pursed lips, tapping the lollipop against them. "I've been fired." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Leandro was slightly surprised.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh~ it's fine~" Bada waved her hand, her smile awkward but genuine. "Yuhee Unnie offered me a job at her company."

Leandro was quiet for a moment. He looked at her delicate profile. At the slight blush on her cheeks. Her swaying, blonde curls. She was holding her chin with a hand, humming softly, the lollipop stick moving around her luscious lips. He wrenched his eyes off of her.

"Is that what you really want to do?"

She tilted her head, glancing at him. There was a little devious smile on her face, as if she were scheming something. "I don't know~" She sighed, longingly. "Maybe I'll open a tattoo parlor one day." She shrugged. "For now, I'll just follow Yuhee Unnie."

He chuckled. "I think you'd look nice with tattoos." And he meant that.

She popped the candy out of her mouth—Leandro stared at the saliva trails.

"Oh, but I already do~" She giggled, in a guilty kind of way, as if she had done something bad but was proud of it. "Wanna see them? You'd have to drop by my place though."

Bada turned her face, the city lights bouncing off of her pale cheeks.

That smile.

It was very mischievous and tempting.

Leandro shook his head, chuckling. "Maybe some other time."

"You're not going to ghost me again, are you?" She had that thoughtful glimmer in her eyes as she crossed her arms over the railing and lounged her head on them. "I've been so lonely, you know? I'm one of your only few friends. You should take care of me more."

He mirrored her, crossing his arms. "Isn't that why I'm here?"

Bada's orbs swept across his sharp, side profile, trailing every nook and curve, as her mouth smacked on the lollipop. "Humph." She blew raspberries, flippantly. "Yuhee Noona usually tells me what you two get up to~"

"Oh." Leandro smirked wryly; somehow, he wasn't very surprised. He turned to the cityscape once more. His eyebrows were furrowed, his voice mellowed out. "Don't believe everything she says."

"I shouldn't believe that you fucked her ass? She was pretty mad, kekeke."

"..."

He sighed.

"Damn her."

Bada glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "So... are you two a thing now?"

Leandro looked up at the sky and said honestly. "No."

She tilted her head. "Why not?"

Leandro pondered on that question, as he had done many times before. "Who knows. Yuhee Noona wants me in a material sense, just so she could cross my name off of her bucket list. She's good company, witty when she's not trying to get in my pants." He chuckled. "Smart. Beautiful. She's like a perfect, artificial doll that wants world domination but struggles to understand human emotions."

"Hmm~ you seem to really like her."

"Do I?" He didn't know himself. Maybe. If only Yuhee stopped doing all the wrong things.

Beyond their intimacy, he didn't know if what they had was artificial or real. He could tell with Hari, or Nari, and on a smaller but substantial scale, even with Bada.

Bada eyed him from the side, thoughtfully. "I wouldn't know." She shrugged. She had that twinkle in her eyes whenever Leandro met them. "But when I talked to her earlier, she seemed distraught and upset. I've never seen Yuhee Unnie so emotional over a man before."

"..."

Leandro continued staring at the glittering skyline. He could already see the Drifts tearing the sky open, spilling monster after monster. He looked down, at the streets, the pedestrians, the cars. He shouldn't be there, thinking about his emotions and his relationships. It felt disrespectful, for Esmeralda, who was still out there, somewhere, and for his previous world, that fell into ruin. 

"But hey..." Bada stretched as she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth, and surprisingly, offered it to him. "You don't have to think about this now, do you?"